Chalkboard Project Reports back to Oregonians with 15-Point Action Plan

Contact:
Chalkboard Project
(503) 542-4325
info@chalkboardproject.org

PORTLAND, Ore. (June 7, 2005) – Citing a deep concern among Oregonians about the future of their K-12 public schools, the Chalkboard Project unveiled an initial 15-point Action Plan today aimed at producing significant immediate and long-term results for elevating public schools to among the nation’s best.

“Everyone wants high quality schools and a high quality of life,” said Chalkboard Chair Charlie Walker. “Yet our education system is at a critical juncture in fulfilling these goals. Something has to change.”

Chalkboard’s Action Plan is initially designed to tackle problems in the areas that will bring a new level of quality throughout Oregon’s K-12 public schools.

Twelve immediate action items lead the comprehensive list. All come with strong public support and an underpinning of best practices research, and represent Chalkboard’s unique process which has centered on finding those inarguable points of intersection between public will and proven results.

The first 12 recommendations are designed to produce short-term gains. Yet all of these action items added together will equal a permanent overhaul of Oregon’s education system. They deal with understanding budgets, transportation, centralized online purchasing, federal funds for special education, a student tracking data system, community audits, smaller K-1 class sizes, tutoring, absenteeism, civility, health & wellness, and school choice. Partnerships between Chalkboard and third-party experts and organizations – combined with a growing coalition of motivated Oregonians – will advance the recommendations.

“Every one of these 12 action steps is a common-sense solution. And while you may have heard some of these ideas before, no one in Oregon has turned them into reality. Oregonians have told us they want these and we have proof they have worked elsewhere. It’s time to get these things done,” said Chalkboard President Sue Hildick.

The last of the initial recommendations represent the hardest and most entrenched issues facing Oregon schools today. Chalkboard will take the lead in tackling: (1) teacher and principal quality; (2) funding and accountability; and (3) parental and community involvement.

Two separate working groups – comprised of education and economic experts – will begin meeting later this month in closed-door sessions that are outside of the political arena. One group, led by OSU-Cascades CEO and provost Jay Casbon, will address Quality Educators & Administrators. Jim Scherzinger, former director of the state’s Legislative Revenue Office, will lead the Funding & Accountability work group.

Here are some of the specifics about these three most important recommendations:

Quality Educators & Administrators

The most important thing we can do to help every child learn is to have great teachers and principals in every school. That means making some changes. It should be easier to hire and keep good teachers and principals. And easier to remove those who aren’t performing.

People have talked about this issue for years, with no resolution. Chalkboard proposes changing the process. Chalkboard will bring together teachers, principals, union leaders, and those who teach teachers. The difference: These sensitive talks will be held in private and in confidence. In this setting, participants will be able to address the issues they usually don’t discuss. These include compensation reform, merit pay, professional development, peer mentoring, evaluations and dismissal policies. Everything will be on the table.

By winter 2006, the talking will end and the opportunity to transform our schools will be at hand. Chalkboard will announce concrete steps to improve teacher/administrator quality.

Funding and Accountability

This is a key area for Oregonians. Do schools have enough money? Do they spend the money they have wisely? How are we to know? Oregon has struggled with these questions for years and made no progress. It’s clear that the existing decision-making process is not working. Chalkboard is taking a new path that leads to solutions.

First, Chalkboard is providing baseline financial information all can trust. One of the key barriers in discussing funding is that everyone starts with a different set of figures and assumptions. Chalkboard has spent the last year developing solid, credible figures as a starting point so that everyone will be working from the same body of information.

Second, Chalkboard is bringing together experts for a series of intensive, no-holds-barred meetings that Chalkboard will fund and run. All of the most sensitive issues — the sacred cows that never get dealt with — will finally be addressed. That includes the funding formula for schools.

We have to stop nibbling around the edges and get to the heart of the funding issue. Then we will present a plan to the 2007 Legislature to change the way we fund schools.

Parental Involvement

This is one of the toughest issues to address. And one of the most important. Everyone agrees that getting parents, grandparents, neighbors or other adults involved in schools is essential. Eighty-three percent of Oregonians say it’s crucial to better schools. Teachers and principals agree.

And yet, it’s not working – not the way it should. We recognize that some parents and some schools are already working together as partners. But if we really want Oregon schools to be the best, we need to make dramatic improvement in this area. We need more parents and more community members to be involved in their schools. 75% of Oregonians don’t have kids in school. But they have a stake in our state and our quality of life, so they need to be involved too.

Chalkboard will start by conducting a statewide survey to learn just how satisfied parents feel about their current ability to be involved with schools. From there, we will work with districts to identify the most effective ways to involve parents and the community. We will also identify new standards so every parent will know what to expect from their school, what their child should be learning and how they can help.

Chalkboard’s approach to formulate this initial Action Plan has been different from the start. When five leading Oregon foundations formed the Chalkboard Project more than a year ago, they were determined to remain fiercely independent and nonpartisan, offering all Oregonians a voice and a role in making key decisions for their schools. They believed that Oregonians armed with the correct information could make K-12 schools not only better, but among the best in the nation.

“We invited Oregonians across the state, from Coos Bay to Pendleton to Ontario, to join us. Over 50,000 did.” said Chalkboard President Sue Hildick. “We met with them face-to-face, over the phone, on the Internet and in small and large groups. We have found areas of common ground, where Oregonians can come together, and we have found other areas that need leadership to bring people together. Chalkboard will lead.”

“This is just the beginning,” said Chalkboard Chair Charlie Walker. “Our work is built on the general interests of all Oregonians — not on special interests. We intend to present an effective, meaningful plan to improve our schools to the 2007 Legislature. But first, we will seek support for common-sense steps, many of which don’t need legislative approval.”

Today’s Action Plan addresses those priorities considered most urgent for Chalkboard and Oregon’s K-12 public schools. The group’s research uncovered other issues that are highly important to Oregonians. In some cases, these issues already have champions. While these are not currently Chalkboard’s priorities, they deserve serious consideration. These include school readiness, alternative school formats, ESDs, alignment of the system, technology, non-core programs and activities, and academic rigor.

For a full copy of Chalkboard’s 15-point Action Plan, including information on supporting best practices research and other data, please visit www.chalkboardproject.org.

About Chalkboard Project
Launched in early 2004, Chalkboard Project exists to inspire Oregonians to do what it takes to make the state’s K-12 public schools among the nation’s best, while strengthening our school system’s financial accountability to taxpayers. Chalkboard aims to help create a more informed and engaged public who understand and address the tough choices and trade-offs required to build strong schools, and to enable statewide programs that can be applied at the local level to improve school quality, accountability, and funding. To date, Chalkboard has connected with about 100,000 Oregonians, asking for their best ideas to strengthen the state’s K-12 public schools. It also has partnered with other education organizations to create the Open Book$ Web site www.openbooksproject.org to track school district spending.

Chalkboard – an initiative of Foundations For A Better Oregon – is sponsored by a growing list of independent foundations. The founding five foundations are: The Collins Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Jeld-Wen Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and The Oregon Community Foundation. For more information about Chalkboard and to learn how to get involved, call (877) YOUR-K12 or visit www.chalkboardproject.org.